Top 13 MIA Games of E3 2008

E3 2008 delivered some top-notch titles, but some heavy hitters didn't show up for the fight. Here's 13 games that were sorely missed.

Now that E308 has concluded, the games revealed having been disseminated across the internet, now is the time to bitch and moan about the forgotten games that we didn't get to hear about at this year's show.

13- Alan Wake

Alan Wake has had a presence at E3 since 2005, yet the title has become a bigger mystery than ever before. This action-thriller, in the works from Max Payne developers Remedy for quite some time now, has promised to go beyond the brainless-but-fun gameplay of Remedy's previous work. And while the game's concepts (light-based attacks) still seem fresh and the graphics still look top-notch, our interest has continually waned with this title. A presence at this year's show would have been a great reminder that the game is still worth waiting for, but now, dare we say we're actually looking forward to the Max Payne movie more? Nah... we won't go that far.

12- Splinter Cell: Conviction

With Assassin's Creed becoming the newest sparkle in Ubisoft's eyes, sad Sam Fisher has seen his stock slip recently. When Altair accomplished public stealth with great success (and greater sales), it really took the wind out of the sails of Splinter Cell: Conviction's similar concept. With Assassin's Creed taking a much-needed year off, now was Splinter Cell's time to shine. With no detection of Sam Fisher on this year's show floor, it's possible he'll be hidden for quite some time. We wish Activision had shown something at its "not an E3 press conference" press conference to convince us otherwise.

11- Grand Theft Auto IV Downloadable Content

While this entry in our list isn't a full-blown video game, it's important enough because this is GTA we're talking about, and who knows what we'll actually be downloading once this finally comes to fruition. The lack of information on the new downloadable "episodes" for Grand Theft Auto IV is disappointing. DLC for GTA IV was announced months ago, and the delay makes us wonder if the developers behind the project are using this time to work on those rumored brand-new downloadable cities. Hey, we can dream, right?

10- Jak and Daxter PS3

Back in the PS2 days, Sony had a trio of prized platformers, each with more inane names and better gameplay than the last--Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter. Sly Cooper's developers are hard at work on the PS3's potential killer-app InFamous, but Naughty Dog has been done with Uncharted for quite some time now. Thus, this year's E3 seemed like the perfect time for the oft-mute human and wiseass ottsel to make their much-anticipated HD debut. Imagine our surprise when the only platforming duo to show up at E3 was Ratchet and Clank, returning to the PS3 less than a year after the release of Tools of Destruction. Don't get us wrong, we're positively pumped for the Ratchet DLC, but we'd give it up in a second to see Naughty Dog create a PS3 platformer.

9- Twisted Metal PS3

Ever since the hidden message in Twisted Metal Head-On was deciphered, we've been eagerly anticipating the debut of Twisted Metal on the PS3. Unless David Jaffe secretly had a hand in the development of the God of War III trailer, his precence, and particularly Twisted Metal's at this year's E3 was sorely missed. It's been quite a while since this series has received major attention from the masses, and a teaser at this year's show would have been a great way to get people talking again. Sadly, Sweet Tooth didn't get to make a stop in LA this year.

8- Aliens: Colonial Marines

It's summer blockbuster season, and now's the perfect time to get us primed on the gaming revival of the sci-fi classic Aliens. Gearbox, the developers of some key Half-Life titles, has been hard at work at the excellent-looking first-person shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines for quite some time now. With a new publisher at the helm, Sega should have had a massive coming out party for this game and Obsidian's Aliens RPG. Now it looks like Aliens' grand return to gaming won't be quite as bombastic as it deserves.

7- StarCraft II

With Activision bowing out of E3, we knew there wouldn't be StarCraft II on the show floor, but the company did make its presence felt during the week. Unfortunately, admist all of the Guitar Hero World Tour hullaballoo, the company couldn't throw a single bone Blizzard's way. It's a shame, since StarCraft II may just be the company's biggest title yet, which is saying something when you consider we're talking about the folks behind World of Warcraft here. Of course, with Blizzcon right around the corner, we're sure to know lots more about this game in a matter of months.

Comments [75]

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Auen1

i wonder why we did not see anything from team ico, particularly a shadow of the colossus sequel.

Gobbl3s

I agree with Auen1, not showing a sequel to Shadow of the Colossus was a stab in my heart. 'Twas a bigger let down than no footage of a new Kid Icarus and nothing on Duke Nukem For"N"ever.

hiphophippy27

i think #10 appealed to me the most. The jak and daxter games were definitely some of my favorite PS2 games. they were just so fun to play. I really want another Jak game to come into next-gen. come on naughty dog, i'm sure an Uncharted 2 would be great, but i think that should wait until PS3 gets another Jak game first. and by that i mean a PLATFORMING game, not a combat racer. leave that to David Jaffe. come on Naughty Dog; Ratchet's already made his PS3 debut; its about time you did too.

hiphophippy27

ShortHairedOffender Posted at: 07/18/08 at 5:57 PM PST I don't want another Jak game.
then you, my friend, have no taste in games.

imnotirish1990

The Max Payne movie looks pretty crappy, but maybe it'll gross enough so that Remedy can start putting out products faster.

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